With the Battlefield 3 (http://www.g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/48696/battlefield-3/) demo behind us, we're already seeing an outpouring of enthusiasm from fans of the game, so we decided to group together to share our own initial reactions to the Battlefield 3 preview that took place at GDC 2011. While you're only seeing the first part of the trailer, this is the full BF3 video breakdown (http://www.g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/48696/battlefield-3/articles/73742/Battlefield-3-First-Look-Preview/) from what we saw...and our ensuing comments:

Nikole Zivalich, Games Editor:

Battlefield 3 has been on my radar for a long time. I've been a fan of the Battlefield series since Battlefield 2, and still regularly venture into the world of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. When I finally saw the single player demo for Battlefield 3 I was blown away. Everything about it was what I was hoping for. The graphics, the audio, the combat, all of it was I wanted for the next Battlefield game. When the lights dimmed and the audio of Johnny Cash (at least I think it was) went up I got the chills. And as someone who doesn't have the time nor the patience to excel in multiplayer I was elated that DICE took the time to make such an advanced and immersive single player in a genre where single player is often something that feels tacked on. EA needs to release the PC specs for this game, mama's getting a new machine.

Jake Gaskill, Previews Editor:

I've been dying to see Battlefield 3 in action since i saw the first in-game screenshots a while back. Even in those shots, the presentation just looked absolutely insane. Little did I know that those highly impressive shots don't even come close to doing this game justice. The Frostbite 2 engine is no joke, and the sights and sounds (especially the sounds) on display in the several brief scenes we saw were some of the most intense and bone-rattingly visceral I've ever experienced. The way bullets rip through concrete, and light pours through smoke, not to mention the massive earthquake that hits in the final moments of the demo that brings down an entire building right at your feet. It's just spectacular in every way.

In fact, the presentation is so incredible, I actually found myself genuinely terrified and anxious about what was going to happen next. In this way, I would imagine DICE would say it succeeded, and they'd be right, because while I'm beyond intrigued to see more (and, hopefully, play more) of Battlefield 3 in the coming months, I'm also scared of what I might see when I get there. This is the kind of war game I've been wanting for a long time, and if this brief look is any indication, it looks like it might finally be here.

I'm not a big war-gamer. I don't fetishize military weapons or equipment. I don't like war movies. l don't read Soldier of Fortune. It's just not my bag, man, so take this reaction with a huge grain of salt. That said, it's impossible to deny the technical amazingness of the Battlefield 3 demo shown at GDC. The Frostbite 2 engine adds an incredible level of detail, realistic lighting effects, and very real-feeling physics. The combination creates an overwhelming sense of place, and a palpable sense of fear, dread and adrenalin. It's such a real-seeming simulation of being on an actual battlefield, that I realized how little I like even the idea of War. One thing is for sure, though: The Modern Warfare franchise should be very, very nervous about now.

Eric Eckstein, Director of Games Editorial:

What we saw at GDC was clearly groundbreaking, and while most folk who buy the game will never see what we saw, if DICE even comes close, Battlefield 3 will be a watershed moment. If the Call of Duty series is the Michael Bay popcorn version of combat, then BF3 is the Generation Kill-ified war movie. I love them both, they each serve their different masters inside my gaming soul, so I'm happy to see BF3 return to the table. Watching urban environments torn apart by bullets and grenades has never before had me wanting to dive headfirst into a game like I did after this demo. The animations, the sounds and the gunfights look superb, and all we've seen were glimpses. Even then, I only wish we had the full video from what we saw as the trailer available now, while cool, does not do the entire presentation justice.

The latest issue of Game Informer magazine – featuring Battlefield 3 on the cover - is about to drop all over the planet, and leaked details are stuffing game forums everywhere ahead of the launch.

Over at NeoGAF, one poster named FLEAbttn has kindly summarised all the game’s pertinent bits and pieces in a bulleted list so I don’t have to (although I did correct the spelling and punctuation errors, because I’m conscientious like that):

• Aiming for CY Q4 2011 release.
• Concept for BF3 has been in the works for years, waiting on proper tech to seamlessly come together.
• Frostbite 2.0 is the culmination of this tech, entirely re-written.
• Lighting sounds neat, one "probe" contains more lighting information than an entire BFBC2 level.
• Level destruction is going to be "believable" but basically everything is destructible.
• Character animations powered by ANT, which EA Sports uses.
• AI characters and multiplayer characters have different animation sets.
• No more "gliding" animations that look off, animation realism is a focus.
• Captured their own war audios (bullets, tanks, helicopters, etc) at different distances to ensure realism.
• Better audio cues for certain actions, more easily able to listen for threats.
• Plan on better, more immediate post release content.
• More unlocks than BFBC2.
• Dice trying to find a good balance between customization of your character and not having "pink rabbit hat(s)".
• Four classes.
• Will talk about squads "later".
• Looking into a theatre mode but can't talk about it.
• Will have co-op.
• There will be a kill-cam but it can be turned off.
• BF3's team is almost twice as big as the team for BFBC2.
• They want the pacing of the single player mode to be balanced, with highs and lows. Makes the comparison to a song vs a guitar solo.
• Part of the single player mode takes place in Sulaymaniyah - Iraqi Kurdistan.
• "F***" will be used often, so M rated for sure.
• There will be an earthquake in a level. The destruction sounds very impressive. 7 story building collapses, looks very well done.
• Significant narrative that goes with the SP mode.
• More than one setting, you're not in the Middle East for the whole game.
• PC version is lead version.
• Why 64 players for PC only? No complaints from the console crowd. [Unconfirmed reports have the console servers supporting 24 players; dedicated servers will be supported, presumably for all platforms.]
• No mod tools at release. Maybe none down the line either. Frostbite 2.0 is complex and mods tools would have to be dumbed down, so does Dice really want to put their time to that or would it be better spent elsewhere?
• Original story, not based on Bad Company at all.
Elsewhere, EA’s senior gameplay designer Alan Kertz has revealed the company’s top secret strategy for taking over the FPS genre – basically, by making a better game than Call of Duty.

"You don't kill COD by trying to be COD. You kill COD by making a better shooter,” he posted on Twitter. "BF3 will be deeper than BF2. That said we've paid a lot of attention to keeping depth while pacing the learning curve. BF3 is the sequel to BF2. It's not BC3. No, grappling hook and zipline are not in the plan."